Cancer survivor honored for yoga therapy

Amanda Cuda

Updated 12:02 am, Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Susan Kiley of Trumbull leads a yoga class at the Watermark at 3030 Park in Bridgeport, Conn. Kiley was recently honored by St. VincentâÄôs Medical Center for her work teaching yoga to cancer patients.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Susan Kiley of Trumbull leads a yoga class at the Watermark at 3030...

Susan Kiley of Trumbull leads a yoga class at the Watermark at 3030 Park in Bridgeport, Conn. Kiley was recently honored by St. VincentâÄôs Medical Center for her work teaching yoga to cancer patients.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Susan Kiley of Trumbull leads a yoga class at the Watermark at 3030...

Susan Kiley would prefer it if you didn't know her name. There are other names she'd rather you remember -- Pilar, Dorothy, Maureen and countless other men and women who have battled, and sometimes been defeated by, various forms of cancer.

These are the people that Kiley, who lives in Trumbull, has come into contact with in the yoga classes for cancer survivors she leads for St. Vincent's Medical Center, 2800 Main St., Bridgeport. Kiley, herself a six-year breast cancer survivor, quit her job several years ago to dedicate herself to helping others living with cancer.

St. Vincent's honored her on Oct. 4, during an annual fundraising luncheon for the hospital's breast cancer services. October is breast cancer awareness month, and the event typically honors a local survivor. This year, Kiley was picked for her work with the yoga classes.

But she would rather minimize her own efforts and accomplishments.

"It's not about me," she said. "It's about them."

Kiley talked warmly all about all the people she's worked with over the years, including one woman whose story she wouldn't share but, "if you heard it, you'd never complain about another ache or pain in your life."

She spoke about the recent death of one of her students, "a beautiful lady named Anna -- just a beautiful, smart, strong woman." She also spoke about yoga and the role it can play in the emotional and physical recovery of many cancer patients, including herself.

Kiley said that when she was first diagnosed with cancer six years ago, she headed to a yoga class not long after getting the news.

"It quieted me down," she said. "I made that connection with my spirit." That's when she swore to God that if she recovered from her cancer, she would retire from her job and work to help other cancer survivors.

She now has several yoga classes, all run by St. Vincent's, though they take place at a variety of locations (including 3030 Park in Bridgeport and Yoga for Everybody in Fairfield). Her classes have a Christian focus, she said, and students often thank God after classes. For many of these patients, the classes are more than exercise; they are a chance to talk about their illness and their struggle toward recovery.

"It's become a support group," Kiley said.

She said she's constantly amazed by what her students go through and what they overcome.